Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-01-01
A RELATIVE OF WASHINGTON.
The vsnturssome Life of Col. ED. nsz,

The Venturesome Life of Col. Eb nezer
Ball.
New York Herald.
One of the features of the grand mill
tary and civic parade on the day of the
unwilling Of the Bartholdi statue was
the presence of Col. Ebenezer Burgess
Ball of the Washington Continentals,
Washington, D. Q. Col. Ball is the
nearest living relative Of George Wash
ingtOn, and bears striking resemblance
to the first president. Col. Ball belongs
to one of the Oldest families of Virginia,
from which WashingtOn's father selected
Mary Ball to be his wife. He is 70
years old, land wears his silver gray hair
after the continental style, his clean
shaver features resembling in general
contour those of the Washington Cont
nentals is similar to that of the old con-
tinental army.
Col. Ball has had a somewhat venture
some life. He left his home In Virginia
when he was 20 years old, and became q
clerk in the largest dry goods store in
Washington. Here he met the then IA
miiar faces of Clay, Calhoun, Webster,
Gales, and the early presidents, who
we're regular custom ers at the store
firing of the uneventful life of a clerk,
Col. Ball soon left the national capital
and settled on the bank of the Usage
river in Missouri, then a thinly-settled
country. Still having a thirst for ad-
venture he sold his log cabin, and, tax
ing only his rife and a supply of ammu-
milton, he Joined the first company that
settled In the Rogue river valley. The
place was sWarming with Indians, and
it was continual fight for sek-preserva-
ton until the outbreak of the war, when
he enlisted and served until its close.
Following the miners in their explo-a-
tons west, Col. Ball became a trading
agent and drove through the unsettled
territory with pack Of mules laden with
provisions, tobacco, AMI ammunition.
During the late war Col. Ball lost all his
savings, and later applied for a position
as Waterman OF the Washington monu-
ment. Failing to get this he rented
stall in the pension department.. where
he is now engaged.
Col. Ball is the grandson Of Col. Bur
CESS Ball who served with distinction in
the Revolutionary war. He was related
to Washington not only through the lat
ter's mother, Mary Ball, but married
WashingEon's niece, Francis Washington.
There are now living only three of the
direct defendants of Col. Burgess Ball
and Frances Washington. They are
George Washington Ball, Of Fauquier
county, Virginia, and Mrs. Kittie Lit
Teton, of London, Va, cousins OF the
present Col. Bail. The chain OF relation
ship is, therefore, from two sources in
the case of Col Ball, who is directly de-
scended from the niece Of George Wash
ingtOn. Col. Burgess Ball, his grand
father, was very near to the first presi-
dent, being a relative. a member of the
military family, and then marrying his
kinswoman. He was a colonel, and won
the admiration of his commanding Of
fcers by raising troops for the COntinen-
tai army at his OWE expense, The gen
ealogy of both the Ball and the Wash
ington families have been traced by Col.
Balls cousin, G. ". Ball, and it is a re-
markable fact that both families have be-
come almost extinct.